UNIT -1

Multidisciplinary Nature of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

ENVIRONMENT: -

The term “Environment” is derived from the French word “environ” or “environer” which
means around or encircle or surroundings.

Definition: Environment can be defined as the sum total of all conditions or things
(physical, chemical, biological, social, cultural and economic) that surrounds an organism.

OR

The sum total of water, air and land and the inter-relationships that exist among them and
with the human beings, other living organisms and materials.

Multidisciplinary Nature of Environmental Sciences: Environmental Sciences subject is

related to all different subjects as given below:

1. Life sciences including Botany, zoology, microbiology, genetics, and biochemistry helps in
understanding the biotic components and their interactions.

2. Physical and Chemical sciences to understand the physical and chemical structure of abiotic
components of the environment along with mass and energy transfers and the basic concepts of
physics, chemistry, geology, atmospheric sciences, oceanography and geography.

3. Mathematics, statistics and computer science likewise serve as effective tools in

environmental modeling.

4. Economics, management, and sociology provides the inputs for dealing with the
socioeconomic aspects associated with various development activities.

5. Technology like civil engineering, hydraulics, chemical engineering, and nano technology
provide the technical solutions to environmental pollution control and waste management that
are extremely important for protection of the environment.

6. Environmental laws provide the guidelines and legal measures for effective management for
protection of the environment.

7. Environmental education and mass communication are two important subjects that are
instrumental in disseminating environmental awareness.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

Scope of Environmental Sciences:

There is a vast scope in private or in the government sector for the environments science degree
holders. Under this course, aspirants can apply for a research degree in government
organizations. Candidates those holding M.Sc degree in Environmental Science can find many
lucrative career opportunities in India as well as in abroad.

The scope of environmental sciences is very wide and it deals with many areas like i) Conservation of
natural resources, ii) ecological aspects, iii) pollution of the surrounding natural resources, iv) controlling
the pollution, v) social issues connected to it, and vi) impacts of human population on the environment.

In this sector you can be employed by various organizations are such as Pollution Control
Board, Water Authority and Urban Planning. Many private organizations like Food processing
industries, Refineries, Distilleries and Fertilizer plants are also offering various job
opportunities for the graduates in this field.
1) RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (R&D) IN ENVIRONMENT:

Scientists have an important role to play in examining various environmental problems in a

scientific manner. There is a need for trained manpower at every deal with environmental issues.
Environmental management and environmental engineering are emerging as new career
opportunities in environmental protection and management. Investing in pollution control
technologies will reduce pollution as well as cut on casts for effluent treatment.
2) GREEN ADVOCACY:
With increasing emphasis on implementing various acts and laws related to environment, need
for environmental law years has emerged, who should be able to plead the cases related to water
and air pollution, forest, wildlife etc
3) GREEN MARKETTING:
While ensuring the quality of products with ISO(Indian Standard Organization) mark. Now there
is an increasing emphasis on marketing goods that are environment friendly. Such products have
eco-mark or ISO 14000 certification.
4) GREEN MEDIA:
Environmental awareness can be spread amongst masses through mass media like T.V, radio,
newspaper, magazines, hoardings, advertisements etc for which environmentally educated
persons are required.
5) ENVIRONMENT CONSULTANCIES:

Many non -governmental organization (NGO's), industries and government bodies are engaging
as environmental consultants.
6) TEACHING FIELD:

There is a scope of this subject in the Educational Institutions also. To create awareness of the
people about the Environment teaching is the best option.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

Why it is important to study Environmental Science?
• Environmental science is very important because it study and enlightening to the
consequence of our action such the effect of technology on the destruction of the natural
resources and the ecosystem, and what we can do to reverse some of these destructive
forces and heal the environment, saving ourselves in the process.
• Environmental science today covers, how living and nonliving things interact. It involves
a lot of discipline and fields of study such as physics, biology, chemistry, geography,
oceanography, etc.
• Environmental science is important to save our world from destruction. Because of man’s
abusive actions, the environment is not safe anymore. There are more calamities
experienced such as flash floods, hurricanes and draughts and climate change. If we do
not study the environment, then there is a great danger that everything that we know as
home with all that surround us, will lead to extinction, yes including the extinction of our
specie.
• Another importance of environmental science is communication and education of the global
issues, through journals, international conferences, and the media so that immediate solutions can
be found and applied. These issues may range from dynamite fishing to global warming,
forest denudation to mining.
• Because of development, more infrastructures had been built, more transportation systems had
been created, and more rural areas had been urbanized. With these rapid changes, there is a need
to study each step that may alter the environment so that the natural ecosystem may still be
protected or replaced by a better one.
• We need to study the environment and the sciences applied into it to find solutions to different
environmental issues so that children of tomorrow will still enjoy the healthy and productive
environment we still have now.
• If man will only make use of the different discoveries through environmental science, then this
world will definitely be a better place to be called home not only for us but for the next
generation.
• The current increasing consumption of natural resources is responsible to higher
production of waste, which enhanced the pollution levels and generates several
unavoidable problems such as global warming, climatic change, depletion of ozone layer,
introduction of incurable diseases etc.
• Environment belongs to all and is important to all without making any differentiation
between races, ages, types. Importance of environment lies in the fact that human beings
well acquainted with nature can lead a healthy, spiritual and long life.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT CELEBRATION AND THEIR DATE: -

World wet land day

2nd February ----- world wet land day.
21st March --------world forest day.
22nd March --------world day of water.
23rd March -------world meteorological day.
5th April --------national maritime day.
22nd April -------Earth Day.
22nd May --------international biodiversity day.
31st May -------anti tobacco day.
1-7th June -------van mahothsava week.
5th June --------world environmental day.
8th June -------world ocean day.
17th June ------world day to combat Desertification
And drought.
11th July -------world population day.
16th -23rd September -----world ozone week.
16th September ---world ozone day.
22nd September ---world car free day.
28th September ---green consumer day.
2nd October -------world farm animal day.
3rd October --------world habitat day.
1-7th October ------wild life week.
16th October ------world food day.
16th October ------world conservation day.
13th October ------international day for Natural.
Disasters reduction day.
14th November ------world fishery day.
21-27th November ----national Land Resources and

Conservation week.

1st December ------world aids day.

3rd December ----Bhopal gas trazady day.
11th December---international mountain day.
14th December -----National energy Conservation day.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: -

Sustainable Development is defined as a "meeting the needs of the present with-out

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ".
Sustainability is the ability to maintain a certain process or state. It is now most
frequently used in connection with biological and human systems.
The definition was given by Norwegian Prime Minister G. H. Brundtland, who was the
director of WHO.

Need for public Awareness:

• Since our environment is getting degraded due to human activities, we need to do

something about it to sustain the quality.

• We often feel that government should take proper measuring steps.

• But all of us are equally responsible to protect our environment.

• Hence public awareness needs to be created.

• Both print media and electronic media can strongly influence public opinion.

• Politicians should respond positively to a strong publicly supported activity.

• NGOs can take active role in creating awareness from grass root levels to the top-most
policy decision makers.

• Environment is an integration of both living and non-living organisms. Water, air, soil,
minerals, wild life, grass lands, forests, oceans, agriculture are all life supporting systems.

• Since these natural resources are limited, and human activities are the causative factors
for environmental degradation, each one of us need to feel responsible to protect the
environment.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Natural Resources:

• Natural resource: these are the concentration of naturally occurring solid, liquid
or gaseous material in or on the earth crust in such form and amount that the
economic extraction of a commodity from the concentration potentially feasible.
• Natural resource defined as any component of natural environment that can be
utilized by living organism for then welfare
eg : land, water, forest, minerals, rain, sun, etc.
• Life on this planet earth depends upon a variety of good and services provided by
the nature these are known as natural resources.

Classification of natural resource: these are of 2 types

1) Renewable resource

2) Non-renewable resource

1) Renewable resource :they may be living resources (trees, animals, forest ) may also be non-
living resources (hydro electric power, solar power and wind power )which can renew
themselves when used sustainably and not over harvested .They are replenished through physical
and biological cycle; they can be lost through over exploitation or pollution

2) Non-renewable resource: they cannot be re-made re-grown or regenerated in a short period

of time on a scale relative to its consumption. it exists in a fixed amount that is being consumed
fast then nature can recreate.

1) Fossil fuels –coal, petroleum natural gas

2) Minerals

Major natural resources:

1) Forest resources
2) Water resources
3) Food resources
4) Energy resources
5) Land resources

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

Forest resources:
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used
throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal
standing and ecological function. The Food and Agriculture Organization defines a forest as land
spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than
10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ.

Forest is an area with a high density of trees. Forest is biotic community that comprises trees
shrubs and herbs.
Distribution of forest: forest can be found in all regions capable of sustaining tree growth at
altitudes up to the tree line forests are dominated by gymnosperms-conifer.
Forest is important renewable resources. Forest varies in composition and diversity and can
contribute substantially to the economic development of any country.
Plants along with the trees cover large areas produce variety of products and provide food for
living organisms and also important to save the environment.
It is estimated that about 30% of world area is covered by forest whereas 26% by pastures.
Among all continents, Africa has largest forested area (33%) followed by Latin America (25%),
whereas in North America forest cover is only 11%. Asia and former USSR has 14% area under
forest. European countries have only 3% area under forest cover. India’s Forest Cover accounts
for 20.6% of the total geographical area of the country as of 2005.
Uses of forests:

Commercial uses: wood is a major forest product and in mainly used as a fuel for cooking and
heating etc. wood is found in different forms.

- Timer – manufacturing of furniture’s, beams of buildings etc.

- Bamboo – pulp and paper flooring
- Canes – sport goods and domestic items like umbrella handles furniture etc.
- Other important forest product , fruits, herbs
- Medicinal plants like camphor, sandal, neem, tulsi, aloevera
- Products from forest insect’s silk, wax honey etc.
- Material like dyes, gums and resins.
- Many products from forest are exports materials.

Ecological uses:

1. Attract rain fall.

The forest makes clouds and rain. When the wind blows over the land it moves through the
trees and the trees put water into the wind. When the wind goes through the trees, the trees

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 also put excess heat from the sun into the wind. The heated, wet air then lifts up because hot
air rises. When the hot, wet air hits the cooler wind above the land, it becomes clouds. If you
cut down the trees there may be less rain and the land may dry up; people will then not have
enough water to drink or wash in and the crops will die.

Forests also increase the atmosphere's humidity by transpiration, which affects

temperature and rainfall.

2. Prevention of soil erosion.

The forest makes the soil. The soil on the land is the old broken-down rock mixed with
the dead plants of the forest and the many small animals and bacteria and plants which
live in the soil. Forests made most of the soil on the planet. When garden soil becomes
poor the forest grows over the old garden and makes the soil good again.

The forest protects the soil. It holds the soil with its roots. If the trees are cut down and no
gardens are planted the soil gets hard and dry and no good for gardens. If heavy rains
come and there are no trees, the soil gets muddy and washes away, polluting streams,
rivers and the sea. Then the soil is gone and gardens will not grow on the hard rock.

3. Increase the fertility of land.

Forests contribute in soil formation through physical, biological and chemical

weathering of the parent rock materials and also through the addition of foliage
and its subsequent decomposition. It is well-known that trees help improve soil
fertility. Studies show that compared to farms in which only crops are cultivated,
when trees are also grown, crop production increased to 200% or more in two-
thirds of cases. Increasing the soil’s organic content also increases the amount of
water that soil can hold.
4. Increase ground water table.

The forest holds water. The trees and the soil they make are full of water and they store this
water for times of no rain. The forest controls the flow of water over the land. When heavy
rains come the trees help trap the water in the soil. They hold water in their branches, trunks,
roots and leaves. When the land is dry the water from the forest keeps the land green.
Without the trees of the forest the land can quickly become dry and the crops may die.

5. Maintain temperature of earth and reduce global warming.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 CO₂ is one of the greenhouse gases responsible for speeding up climate change. And what’s
helping to slow it down? Forests!
Like we said earlier, trees help absorb the CO₂ we breathe out, and when you have a whole
bunch of trees together, their CO₂ absorbing powers get stronger! Forests are so good at
absorbing CO₂ that they are the second largest carbon “sink” in the world, meaning they
absorb more CO₂ from the atmosphere than they release. When it comes to the fight against
climate change, we’re glad we have forests on our side.

6. Decrease pollution.

The world’s forests absorb a third of global emissions every year. Particles, odors and pollutant gases
such as nitrogen oxides, ammonia and sulfur dioxide settle on the leaves of a tree. Trees absorb these
toxic chemicals through their stomata, or ‘pores’, effectively filtering these chemicals from the air. Trees
also mitigate the greenhouse gas effect by trapping heat, reduce ground-level ozone levels and release
life-giving oxygen. If we continue with our current rate of deforestation, it will have severe consequences
on the quality of our air.

7. Releasing oxygen Forests pump out oxygen we need to live and absorb the carbon
dioxide we exhale (or emit). A single mature, leafy tree is estimated to produce a day's
supply of oxygen for anywhere from two to 10 people. Phyto plankton in the ocean are
more prolific, providing half of Earth's oxygen, but forests are still a key source of quality
air.
8. Maintain biological diversity.

Forests contain a greater range of biodiversity than any other ecosystems on earth. Only a
fraction of the species found in forests have been examined and studied. A single massive tree
in the Amazon rainforest can be home for thousands of species. The wide variety of trees and
plants found in tropical forests comprises particularly intensive biodiversity. This biodiversity
is be important on its own terms in ways we may not currently understand, as interdependent
species have evolved over millions of years to interact and flourish.

9. Maintain cycling of the nutrients.

What little we know about soil and its interaction with trees and the rest of the ecosystem is just
the tip of the iceberg. We know for instance that some species of trees provide habitat for
bacteria and fungi in their root structure. These organisms perform nitrogen fixation, which is a
significant factor in soil fertility.

Trees also recycle nutrients by pulling them up from deeper layers of the ground and bringing
them up to the surface through the decomposition of leaf and plant litter to form soil organic
matter. Tree canopies also trap some amounts of nutrient from the atmosphere, a source of free
fertilizer which is washed from the leaves to the soil by rain.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 10. Prevent threats of flood.

Tree roots are key allies in heavy rain, especially for low-lying areas like river plains. They
help the ground absorb more of a flash flood, reducing soil loss and property damage by
slowing the flow.

11. Provide habitat for wild life.

Nearly half of Earth's known species live in forests, including 80% of biodiversity on land. That
variety is especially rich in tropical rainforests, but forests teem with life around the planet:
Insects and worms work nutrients into soil, bees and birds spread pollen and seeds, and keystone
species like wolves and big cats keep hungry herbivores in check. Biodiversity is a big deal, both
for ecosystems and human economies, yet it's increasingly threatened around the world by
deforestation.

According to National Geographic, "70 percent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in
forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes."

12. Forest provides shelter for tribal people.

The forest has many plants which may be of great economic value. Not just trees, but foods,
spices and medicines grow in the forest. Maybe some of the plants killed during forest cutting
are worth more than the trees. When they are killed and thrown away or burned, the land may be
losing plants with food or medicinal value which can never be replaced. The medicinal plants
and the plants used for many generations by the local people for special purposes need the forest
to survive.

The forest is the heritage of the local people. Treated with love and respect it will last forever
and supply the people's needs. Many people have sacred ties to the trees and the forest that are
part of their traditional cultures, and are still important to them today.

Deforestation:

Deforestation is the logging or burning of trees in forest areas. It is also defined as

extensive cutting of trees for economic gain. The removal of trees without sufficient
reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat of several organisms and biodiversity loss.

Causes of deforestation:

1 shifting cultivation: promotion of new agriculture example: fruit trees, palm trees, and rubber
plant in the forest area .not only that due to because of increasing the population food need are
increased for that reason also forest are depleting.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

2 fuel requirements: increasing demands for fuel wood by the growing population.

3 raw materials for industrial use: wood for making boxes furniture, railway sleepers
plywood, match boxes. Pulp form paper industries etc. have exerted tremendous pressure on
forests.

4 development projects: massive destruction of forest occurs for various development projects
like hydroelectric projects big dams road constructions, mining etc.

5 growing food needs: in developing countries this is the main reason for deforestation. To meet
the demands of rapid growing population, agricultural land and settlements are created
permanently by clearing forests.

6 overgrazing: the poor in the tropics mainly rely on wood as a source of fuel leading to loss of
tree over and the cleaned land are turned into grazing land. Overgrazing by the cattle leads to
further degradation these land.

7 forest fires: there may be natural or manmade and cause huge forest loss.

Effects of deforestation:

Decrease in rain fall: Evapo-transpiration reduces the atmospheric moisture, and also
affects precipitation levels
Soil erosion: it generally increases rate of soil erosion by increasing the amount of run-
off. Forestry operation themselves increase soil erosion through the development of roads
are the use of equipment.
Disturbed hydrological cycle: water cycle is also affected by deforestation Trees extract
ground water through the root and release it into the atmosphere. It also reduces the
content of water in the soil and ground water in as atmospheric moisture.
Lowering dawn of the water table: Forest enhance the recharge of aquifers in some
locations. However forests are a major source of aquifer depletion at most places.
Increase in climatic temperature: trees are playing a major role in managing the
atmospheric temperature a deforestation cause rise in average temperature earth which
contributes to global warning.
Rise in co2 in atmosphere: trees and other plants utilized carbon from the atmosphere
during the process of photosynthesis .both decay and burning of wood release huge
amount of carbon into the atmosphere.
Increase in pollution: forests work as a sink for several pollutants and are capable to
extract carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air.
Habitat loss for wild life: forests provide habitat to several animals birds etc. and
support the biodiversity the cutting of forests trees damages the habitat of the wild life of
the locality.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 Threat of flood havocs: shrinking forest cover lessens land scopes capacity to intercept
retain and transpire preparation.
Causes of landslides: deforestation reduces soil cohesion which increases erosion,
flooding and landslides.
Endangered tribal life: due to deforestation tribal life is badly disturbed and they are
displaced from forests to other areas.
Bad effects on economy: the forest product industry is a large part of the economy in
both developed and developing countries.
Decline in biodiversity: the removal or destruction of forest cover resulted in a degraded
environment with reduced bio-diversity.

Control measures for deforestation:

1 forest management: it encompasses establishment, maintenance, tending (thinning

etc.) harvesting and reforestation, with the objective to maintain the forest ecosystem.
International tropical timber organization defined the forest management as the process
of managing permanent forest land to achieve one or more clearly specified objectives of
forest management with regard to the production of a continuous flow of desirable forest
products and services without under reduction of its inherent values and future
productivity and without under undesirable effects on the physical and social
environment.
2 Reforestation: in most part of the world, especially in East Asian countries,
reforestation and afforestation are increasing the area of forested land.
Joint forest management programmer should implement.
Kyoto protocol: a key factor in controlling deforestation could come from the Kyoto
protocol, avoided deforestation are known as reduced emissions due to deforestations.
3 Implementation of rules and regulation: government should take initiation to make
rules and regulations in content to forest conservation cultivation of case crops should be
stringently restricted in the forest area.
4 Instigating environmental education: environmental education helps in creating
awareness about protection and maintenance of forest among the individuals.
Afforestation and social forestry programs can also be initiated under environmental
education.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

Water resources:
Water it is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known life
forms. (Plants, animals, humans). 71% of water covers the surface of the earth. In that oceans
cover 97% of water remaining 3% fresh water. In that also 2.4 %is present polar ice caps
remaining 0.004 % is as lakes, ponds, rivers, streams.

Water – a unique resource.

• It exists as a liquid over a wide range of temperature i.e., o deg-100 deg.

• It has the highest specific heat, due to which it warms up and cool down very
slowly without causing shocks of temperature jerks to the aquatic life.
• It has a high latent heat of vaporization.
• It is an excellent solvent for several nutrients.
• Due to high surface tension and cohesion it can easily rise through great heights
through the turn even in the tallest of the trees like sequoia.
• It has an anomalous expansion behavior i.e., as it freezes it expands instead of
contracting and these becomes lighter
• Capillary action refers to the tendency of water to move up a narrow tube against
the force of gravity.

Hydrological cycle / water cycle:

The water cycle is the movement of water in the environment by

1. Evaporation
2. Condensation
3. Precipitation
Process of hydrological cycle: The sun cause liquid water to warm and evaporate
(liquid-> gaseous->vapor) and rise up into the sky.
The water vapors are cooled during evaporation.
These cooled water vapors forms clouds.
The transformation of the vapor into clouds (gaseous state to liquid) is called as
condensation.
When the clouds get heavy the water fall back to the ground in the forms of rain , snow,
or hail ( ice pieces )
This process is called as precipitation.
Plants in our environment contain water in a liquid form they release water vapor into the
atmosphere this process called as transpiration.
When transpiration lakes place along with evaporation then it is called as evapo-
transpiration.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 Source of water:

Main source of water is rain

Surface water: example ice caps, seas, oceans, rivers, lakes ponds steams etc.

Sub surface water: underground water (aquifers).

1) Surface water: it is available in river lakes or wet lands surface water is naturally
replenished by precipitation and naturally lost through discharge to the oceans,
evaporation and subsurface percolation – Brazil is estimated to have the largest supply of
fresh water in the world followed by Russia and Canada.
Frozen water: water stored in iceberg is called frozen water glacier, polar ice caps snow
regions.
2) Sub surface water: it is the water located in the pore space of soil and rocks the natural
input to ground water is seepage from surface water. Natural out-put are springs the water
in the ground stored in section called aquifers. The water content of an aquifer normally
depends on the soil particle size and permeability.

Uses of fresh water:

 Consumptive use:
1) Agricultural purpose: it is estimated that 69%of worldwide water is used for irrigation
purposes with 15-35%of irrigation withdrawals being unsustainable.
2) Industrial use: it is estimated that 15%of world wild consumptive water use is industrial.
Major industries uses include power plants pulp and paper industries distilleries tannery
are and oil refineries etc.
3) House hold use: like drinking batting, cooking, sanitation and gardening.

 Non – consumptive:
1) Recreational use: water is mostly tied to reservoirs like boating, anglers, water skiers,
nature enthusiast and swimmers.
2) Environmental uses: artificial wet land, artificial lakes intended to create wildlife
habitat, fish ladders around dams and water release form reservoirs tied to help fish
spawn.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 Cause for water stress:

1) Population growth: water demand will increase by the growth of population for then
regular need etc.
2) Rapid urbanization: the accelerated urbanization requires significant investment in
infrastructure in order to supply fresh and clean water to individuals and to treat
wastewater.
3) Climate change: rising temperature will increase evaporation of water and lead to
increase in precipitate and cause droughts and flood may become more frequent in
various regions at different times.
4) Depletion of aquifers: consumption of water is increase and due to this many of the
world’s major aquifers are becoming depleted like direct human consumption as well as
agricultural and industries etc.
5) Pollution and water protection: pollution through sewage sludge garbage and even
toxic pollutants are all dumped into the water .in addition to sewage non-point source
pollution such as agriculture run of is a significant source of pollution.
6) Water and conflict: water stress hassled most after to conflicts and political tensions at
local regional and international levels gradual reduction over time in the quality and
quantity of fresh water. Conflict and tension over water are most likely to arise at in the
downstream areas of distressed river basins political tension civil protest and violence
may also occur in reaction to water privatization.

Some major water conflict like:

Water conflict in Middle East: three rivers basing like Jordan, Tigris and Nile are the
shared water for the Middle East countries. Ethiopia, Sudan is trying to divert more
water. This would body effect Egypt. Turkey has abundant water and plans to build 22
dams on Tigris –Euphrates for hydroelectric power generation with this Syrian and Iraq
will get disturb.
The Indus water treaty: the Indus water treaty was established by which Indus. the
Jhelum and the Chenab were allocated to Pakistan and the Sutlej the Ravi and Beas were
allocated to India.
The Cauvery water dispute: the Cauvery river water bone of contention between Tamil-
nadu and Karnataka and the problem almost 100 old.
The Sutlej - Yamuna link (SYL) canal dispute: these of sharing the Ravi and Beas
water and SYL issues be in Punjab and Haryana is being discussed time.
Some ancient methods of water conservation:

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 13. The Indus valley civilization: that flourished along with banks of river Indus and other
parts of Western and Northern India about 5000 years ago had one of most sophisticated
urban water supply and sewage system in world
14. A large number of tanks were cut in the rocks to provide drinking water. Each fort in
area has its own water harvesting and storage system in the form of rock cut – cisterns,
ponds, tanks and wells
15. Rain water from roof tops are directed into underground tanks
16. Underground baked earthen pipes and tunnels are to transport water.

Water conservation methods:

Rain water is stored in underground constructed tanks especially in arid and semiarid
regions of the country.
Large bunds to create reservoir’s such as Khadins dams, Johads, thanks etc. jal-talas in
U.p, havelisyste in M.P, Ahar in Bihar.
To reduce the evaporation loses:
 Mulching is the application of organic or in organic material such as plant debris,
compost etc. slows the surface run off, improves the soil moisture and reduces the
evaporation lose and improves soil fertility.
 soil covered by crops
 Ploughing help to move the soil around the breaks soil capillaries.
 Shelter belts of trees and bushes along the edge of agricultural fields slow down the
wind speed and evaporation loses.
 Planting trees grass and bushes. Breaks the force of rain.
 Fog and dew contains substantial amount of water that can be used directly by
adapted plant species.
 Artificial surface such as netting – surface traps sheets can be exposed to fog and
dew.
 contour farming is adapted in hilly areas
 Transfer of water from surface area to deficit areas by interlinking water systems
through canals.
 Use of efficient watering system such as drip irrigation and sprinklers will reduce
the water consumption.
 Rain water harvesting Town planner and civil authority in many cities in India are
introducing by law making rain water harvesting compulsory in all new structures.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

Food Resources:
Food is very important resource to survive the life. Generally food is taking as vegetarian
and non-vegetarian food. Many varieties of food are available in the entire world. According to
the places in the world food habits are depends.

The main food resources include wheat, rice, maize, potato, barley, oats, sugarcane, pulses,
cereals, millets etc, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, fish and sea food.

The food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations estimated that on an
average the minimum caloric intake on a global scale is 2,500 calories/day.

Deficiency or lack of nutrition often leads to malnutrition.

Impact of malnutrition:

Proteins and calories → stunted growth, kwashiorkor, morasses.

Iron →Anemia, lack of blood.

Iodine → Goiter, Cretinism.(Thyroid gland effects)

Vitamin A → Blindness, night blindness.

World food problems:

During the last 50 years world grain production has increased almost three times, thereby
increasing per capita production by about 50%. At the same time population growth increased at
such a rate in LDC’s (Less Developed Countries) that out stripped food production.

Indian scenario:

India is the 3rd largest producer of staple crops are estimated 300 million Indians are still
unnourished. Our food problems are directly related to population. The “World Food Summit,
1996” has set the largest to reduce the number of undernourished to just half by 2015.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

Effects of Modern Agriculture:

Environmental Impacts related to agriculture

Agriculture

Traditional Modern
agriculture agriculture

Impacts related to high Pesticide Water Salinity

Fertilizer
yielding varieties related impacts related impacts logging problem

Micro-nutrient Nitrate Eutrophication

imbalance pollution

Pest resistance Loss of non- Biological

magnif ication
problem target species

Chain of side effects on environment due to intensive practices for increased food
production.

Agriculture:

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 In the early years of human existence on this earth, man was just hunter gathers and quite
like other animal species. Some 10000-12000 years ago he took to agriculture by cultivating
plants of his own choice. He used the practice of slash and burn cultivation or shifting
cultivation which is still prevalent in many tribal areas as the North East hills of India. The type
of agriculture practice these days is very different from the traditional ones and their out puts in
terms of yield as well as their impact on the environment show lots of differences.

Effects of Modern Agriculture:

It makes use of hybrid seeds of selected and single crop variety, high-tech equipments and
lots of energy subsidies in the form of fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation water. The food
production has increased tremendously, evidenced by “Green Revolution”.

1) Impacts related to high yielding varieties (HYV): The uses of HYVs encourage
monoculture i.e., the same genotype is grown over vast areas. In case of an attack by
some pathogen, there is total devastation of the crop by the disease due to exactly
uniform conditions, which help in rapid spread of the disease.

2) Fertilizer related problems:

(a) Micronutrient imbalance: Essential micronutrients for the crops are nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), potassium (K). Excessive use of the fertilizers cause “micronutrient
imbalance”. Eg: Excessive fertilizers use in Punjab and Haryana has caused deficiency of
the micronutrient zinc in the soils.
(b) Nitrate Pollution: Nitrogenous fertilizers applied in the fields often leach deep into the
soil and ultimately contaminate the ground water. If nitrates concentration exceeds
25mg/L, it may cause of a serious health hazard called “Blue Baby Syndrome” or
Methaemoglobinemia. This disease affects infants to the maximum extent causing even
death.
(c) Eutrophication: Excessive use of N and P fertilizers in the agricultural fields leads to
another problem which is related to the water bodies like ponds and lakes. These fertilizers
lead to come from rain water with run off to the stagnated water bodies. Over nutrients
getting to the water bodies. “The process of over nutrition to the open stagnated water
bodies is called as eutrophication”. Eu=more, trophic=nutrition.
Due to eutrophication the lakes get invaded by algal blooms. These algal blooms grow
very fastly by using excessive nutrients. They are often toxic and badly affect the food
chain. Algal species quickly completes their life cycle and die thereby adding a lot of dead
organic matter. The fishes are also killed and there is a lot of dead matter that starts getting
decomposed. Oxygen is consumed in the process of dissolved oxygen (DO). This affects
aquatic fauna and ultimately anaerobic conditions are created where only pathogenic
anaerobic bacteria can survive. Because of this lake ecosystem gets degraded.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 3) Pesticide related problem: Many types of pesticides are used in agriculture. These
include chemicals like sulphur, arsenic, lead or mercury to kill the pests. DDT
(DichloroDiphenyl Trichloroethane) is insecticidal discovered by Paul Mueller in 1939.

a) Creating resistance in pests and producing new pests: Some individuals of the pest
species usually survive even after pesticide spray. The survivors give rise to highly
resistant generations. About 20 species of pests are now known which have become
immune to all types of pesticides and are known as “Super pests”.
b) Death of non-target organisms:Many insecticides are broad spectrum poisons which not
only kill the target species but also several non-target that are useful to us.
c) Biological magnification:Many of the pesticides are non-biodegradable and keep on
accumulating in the food chain, a process called biological magnification.

4) Water logging: Over irrigation of farmers for good growth of their crop usually leads to
water logging.

• Inadequate drainage causes excess water to accumulate underground and gradually

forms a continuous column with the water table.
• Under water logged conditions, pore-spaces in the soil get fully drenched with water
and the soil-air gets depleted.
• The water table rises while the roots of plants do not get adequate air for respiration.
Mechanical strength of the soil declines, the crop plants get lodged and crop yield
falls.
5) Salinity problem: Saline soils are characterized by the accumulation of soluble salts like
sodium chloride, sodium sulphate, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride etc in the soil
profile. The electrical conductivity is more than 4dS/m.
• Solid soils have carbonates and bicarbonates of sodium, the pH usually exceeds 8.0
and the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) is more than 15%.
• Under dry climate, the water evaporates leaving behind salts in the upper soil profile.

Remedy: Most common method for good quality water to getting rid of salts is to flush them
out by applying more good quality water to such saline soils.

• Another method is laying underground network of perforated drainage pipes for

flushing out salts slowly.
• Sub-surface drainage system has been tried in the experimental station of CSSRI at
Sampla, Haryana.

Land Resource
Land as A Resource: -

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 Land is a valuable resource upon which we depend for our food, fiber and fuel wood and the
basic needs of life. Soil, especially top soil is the renewable resources because it is continuously
regenerated by natural process.

Land degradation: -

• With increasing population growth the demand for arable land for producing food , fiber
and fuel wood is also increasing.
• Because of more pressure on the limited land resources which are getting degraded due
to over exploitation.
• About 200 – 1000 years are needed for the formation of 1 inch or 2.5 cm soil depending
upon the climate and soil type.

Causes of land degradation: -

• Soil erosion
• Water logging
• Salinization
• Contamination of soil with industrial wastes
• Modern agricultural practices
• Leachates from dumping yards
• Deforestation
• Mining activities

Waste land reclamation:-

Objectives:-

• To improve the physical structure and quality of the marginal soils.

• To improve the availability of good quality water for irrigating these lands.
• To prevent soil erosion, flooding and landslides.
• To conserve the biological resources of the land for sustainable use.

Waste land reclamation practices: -

1. Land development and leaching:-Salt affected soil can clean by leaching i.e., by applying
excess amount of water to push down the salts.

* To reduce the soil salinity problem, soil texture, depth of impermeable layers and water
table , land leveling is done to facilitate efficient and uniform application of water.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 * Sprinkling system is also can be implemented. It reduces about 90% salinity.

2. Drainage:-This is required for water logged soil reclamation where excess water is removed
by artificial drainage.

a. Surface drainage:-This is used in areas where water stands on the fields after heavy rains
by providing ditches to runoff the excess of water.

b. Sub surface drainage:-Horizontal sub surface drainage is provided in the form of

perforated PVC pipes or open – jointed pipes with an envelope of gravel 2-3m below the land
surface.

3. Irrigation practices:-Surface irrigation with precise land leveling, smoothing and efficient
hydraulic design help to reduce water logging and salinity.

4. Selection of tolerant crops and crop rotation:-Tolerance of crops to salts found to range
from sensitive, semi tolerant.

Eg:- Barley , sugar beet , date - palm are highly tolerant crops . Wheat, sorghum, pearl millet,
soyabean are salt-tolerant crops. Rice, millets, soybeans, pulses, brinjal are semi-tolerant crops.

5. Gypsum amendment:-Amendment of sodic soil with gypsum is recommended for reducing

soil sodicity as calcium of gypsum replaces sodium from the exchangeable sites.

6. Green manures, fertilizers and bio fertilizers :-Application of farm yard manure or nitrogen
fertilizers have improve saline soils.

* Green manuring with dhaincha, guar improved salty soils.

* Blue green algae have also improved the salty soils.

7. Afforestation programs:- Plantation is very important to improve the soil fertility. National
Commission on Agriculture (NCA) launched several afforestation programs.

8. Social forestry programs:- These programs mostly involve strip plantation on road , rail ,
canal-sides , rehabilitation of degraded forest lands , farm-forestry , waste land forest
development etc.

Landslides: -
A land slide is the gravitational movement of mass of rock , earth or debris down a slope ,
classified below:

• The material involved ( rock , debris , earth , mud )

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 • the type of movement ( fall , topple , avalanche , slide , flow)

Causes of landslides:-
1. Natural causes:-

Landslides can be trigged by natural physical processes , such as heavy or prolonged rainfall ,
earthquakes , volcanic eruptions , rapid snow melt , slope under cutting by rivers or sea waves.

2. Man induced landslides:-

A) Intense deforestation and soil erosion: - Tree cutting effects the occurrence of debris flow
in two ways:

1) By modifying the soil moisture regime.

2) By reducing rooting strength.

B) Settlements:-Built on steep slopes and soft soils can trigger landslides, particularly when they
have weak foundation.

C) Road construction and landslides:-Road construction in hilly areas, massive cutting of

mountain slopes , uncontrolled blasting of rock , quarrying and mining activities

Mitigation measures:-

*Capture and drainage of water before reaches potential slope area.

*Underground drainage by using sub surface pipes.

*Land reform by terracing/ re-shaping.

*Reforestation.

*Ground cover with grass or agricultural crops.

*Introduction of active external mechanical forces (anchors, rock or ground nailing).

*Use of passive structures (structural wells , piling) to contrast the destabilizing forces.

Soil erosion: -
Soil erosion is defined as the movement of soil components, especially surface-litter and top
soil from one place to another.

It leads to loss of fertility.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

Soil erosion basically 2 types:

(1) Normal erosion or geologic erosion.

(2) Accelerated erosion (manmade) overgrazing, deforestation , mining.

Agents which cause soil erosion:-

1. Climatic agents:-

A) Water induced soil erosion:

1. Sheet Erosion: It is uniform removal of a thin layer of soil from a large surface area usually
due to run off water.

2. Rill Erosion: Rapid rainfall leads to running water produces finger-shaped grooves or rills
over the area.

3. Gully Erosion: Rainfall is very heavy deep cavities or gullies are formed which may be U or
V shaped.

4. Slip Erosion: It occurs due to heavy rainfall on slope of hills and mountains.

5. Stream Bank Erosion: During rainy season fast running streams cuts the soil and makes
caves in the banks.

B) Wind induced soil erosions;-

1. Saltation: It occurs influence of direct pressure of stormy wind soil particle size 1-1.5mm.

2. Suspension: Fine soil particles (< 1mm) erode.

3. Surface Creep: Larger particles (5-10mm diameter) creep over the soil surface along with
wind.

2.Biotic agents: -

Excessive grazing, mining, deforestation. Deforestation without re-forestation, overgrazing by

cattle, surface mining without land reclamation , irrigation techniques that lead to salt build up ,
water logged soil , farming on land within suitable terrain , soil compaction by agricultural
machinery.

Desertification: -
That means the land converted into the desert. It is a process whereby the productive
potential of arid or semi arid lands falls by 10%.

What is Desertification?

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

Desertification is defined as a process of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas
due to various factors including climatic variations and human activities. Or, to put it in another
way, desertification results in persistent degradation of dry land and fragile ecosystems due to
man-made activities and variations in climate.

Desertification, in short, is when land that was of another type of biome turns into a desert biome
because of changes of all sorts. A huge issue that many countries have is the fact that there are
large pockets of land that are going through a process that is known as desertification.

Overgrazing is the major cause of desertification worldwide. Other factors that cause
desertification include urbanization, climate change, overuse of
groundwater, deforestation, natural disasters, and tillage practices in agriculture that make soils
more vulnerable to wind.

Desertification affects topsoil, groundwater reserves and surface runoff, human, animal, and
plant populations. Water scarcity in dry lands limits the production of wood, crops, forage, and
other services that ecosystems provide to our community.

According to UNESCO, one-third of world’s land surface is threatened by desertification, and

across the world, it affects the livelihood of millions of people who depend on the benefits of
ecosystems that dry lands provide.

Desertification is another major environmental concern and a significant barrier to meeting basic
human needs in dry lands and is being constantly threatened by increases in human pressures and
climatic variability.

In this article, we’re going to give you an idea as to what are the causes of desertification, the
effects that desertification has, and what we can do in order to deal with the problem at hand.
Let’s take a closer look at all of these topics.

Various Causes of Desertification

1. Overgrazing

Animal grazing is a huge problem for many areas that are starting to become desert biomes. If
there are too many animals that are overgrazing in certain spots, it makes it difficult for the
plants to grow back, which hurts the biome and makes it lose its former green glory.

2. Deforestation

When people are looking to move into an area, or they need trees in order to make houses and do
other tasks, then they are contributing to the problems related to desertification. Without the
plants (especially the trees) around, the rest of the biome cannot thrive.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

3. Farming Practices

Some farmers do not know how to use the land effectively. They may essentially strip the land of
everything that it has before moving on to another plot of land. By stripping the soil of its
nutrients, desertification becomes more of a reality for the area that is being used for farming.

4. Excessive Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides

The use of excessive amounts of fertilizers and pesticides to maximize their crop yields in the
short term often leads to significant damages for the soil.

In the long run, this may turn from arable into arid land over time, and it will no longer be
suitable for farming purposes after a few years of excessive farming since the soil has been
damaged too much over time.

5. Over drafting of groundwater

Groundwater is the freshwater found underground and also one of the largest water
sources. Over drafting is the process in which groundwater is extracted in excess of the
equilibrium yield of the aquifer that is pumping or the excessive pulling up of groundwater from
underground aquifers. Its depletion causes desertification.

6. Urbanization and Other Types of Land Development

As mentioned above, development can cause people to go through and kill plant life. It can also
cause issues with the soil due to chemicals and other things that may harm the ground. As areas
become more urbanized, there are fewer places for plants to grow, thus causing desertification.

7. Climate Change

Climate change plays a huge role in desertification. As the days get warmer and periods of
drought become more frequent, desertification becomes more and more eminent.

Unless climate change is slowed down, huge areas of land will become desert; some of those
areas may even become uninhabitable as time goes on.

8. Stripping the Land of Resources

If an area of land has natural resources like natural gas, oil, or minerals, people will come and
mine it or take it out. This usually strips the soil of nutrients, which in turn kills the plant life,
and eventually leads to the process of becoming a desert biome as time goes on.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

9. Natural Disasters

There are some cases where the land gets damaged because of natural disasters, including
drought. In those cases, there isn’t a lot that people can do except work to try and help
rehabilitate the land after it has already been damaged by nature.

10. Soil Pollution

Soil pollution is a significant cause of desertification. Most plants are quite sensitive to their
natural living conditions. When soil becomes polluted due to various human activities, the
respective area of land may suffer from desertification in the long run. Higher the level of
pollution more will be the degradation of soil over time.

11. Overpopulation and excessive consumption

Since our world population is continuously growing, the demand for food and material goods is
also increasing at an alarming rate. Our overall level of consumption is also increasing at a
steady rate.

Thus to fulfill our demand, we have to optimize our farming processes to harvest even higher
crop yields. However, this excessive optimization of farming will hurt the soil and will
eventually turn into the desertification of land in the long run.

12. Mining

Mining is another big reason for desertification. Large amounts of resources have to be extracted
by industries to meet our demand for material goods. For mining, large areas of land have to be
used, which causes deforestation as well as pollution of the nearby areas.

By the time most of the natural resources have been extracted, and mining practices are no more
profitable, the soil gets damaged significantly, and the land becomes arid, which may not be
recoverable, and desertification occurs.

Devastating Effects of Desertification

1. Farming becomes next to impossible

If an area becomes a desert, then it’s almost impossible to grow substantial crops there without
special technologies. This can cost a lot of money to try and do, so many farmers will have to
sell their land and leave the desert areas.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

2. Decrease in Crop Yields

A major effect of desertification is the decrease in crop yields. Once land turns from arable to
arid, it is often on longer suitable for farming purposes anymore.

In turn, many farmers may lose their livelihood, since they often solely rely on farming as their
single source of income. If their land becomes arid, they may no longer be able to provide
sufficient crop yields to make a living out of it.

3. Hunger

Without farms in these areas, the food that those farms produce will become much scarcer, and
the people who live in those local areas will be a lot more likely to try and deal with hunger
problems. Animals will also go hungry, which will cause even more of a food shortage.

4. Flooding

Without plant life in an area, flooding is a lot more imminent. Not all deserts are dry; those that
are wet could experience a lot of flooding because there is nothing to stop the water from
gathering and going all over the place. Flooding can also negatively affect the water supply,
which we will discuss next.

5. Poor Water Quality

If an area becomes a desert, the water quality is going to become a lot worse than it would have
been otherwise. This is because plant life plays a significant role in keeping the water clean and
clear; without its presence, it becomes a lot more difficult for you to be able to do that.

6. Overpopulation

When areas start to become desert, animals and people will go to other areas where they can
actually thrive. This causes crowding and overpopulation, which will, in the long run, end up
continuing the cycle of desertification that started this whole thing anyway.

7. Poverty

All of the issues that we’ve talked about above (related to the problem of desertification) can
lead to poverty if it is not kept in check. Without food and water, it becomes harder for people to
thrive, and they take a lot of time to try and get the things that they need.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

8. Biodiversity Loss

In general, the destruction of habitats and desertification may also contribute to a loss of bio-
diversity. While some species may be able to adjust to the altered environmental conditions
properly, many species will not be able to do so and may suffer from serious declines in
population.

9. Endangerment and Extinction of Species

The desertification results in a decline in population for which species may become
endangered or even extinct. This problem is especially severe for species that are already
endangered as the small number of animals or plants that remains may also die off over time,
which may even lead to the extinction of species.

10. Destruction of Habitats

Desertification often leads to a loss of habitats for many animals and plants. Desertification may
alter the living conditions of the local flora and fauna that makes it impossible for animals and
plants to sustain their populations.

After desertification, regions suffer from water shortages due to climate change and animals may
suffer and die since water is vital for all life on our planet.

11. Migration

The desertification implies the destruction of the livelihood of farmers. This problem becomes
even worse when large areas of land that are currently used for farming will then no longer be
suitable for farming due to a lack of water triggered by global warming. This results in serious
migration movements.

Solutions to Desertification

1. Policy Changes Related to How People can Farm

In countries where policy change will actually be enforced on those in the country, policy change
related to how often people can farm and how much they can farm on certain areas could be put
into place to help reduce the problems that are often associated with farming and desertification.

2. Policy Changes to Other Types of Land Use

If people are using land to get natural resources or they are developing it for people to live on,
then the policies that govern them should be ones that will help the land to thrive instead of
allowing them to harm the land further. The policy changes could be sweeping or they could be
depending on the type of land use at hand.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

3. Education

In developing countries, education is an incredibly important tool that needs to be utilized in

order to help people to understand the best way to use the land that they are farming on. By
educating them on sustainable practices, more land will be saved from becoming desert.

4. Technology Advances

Research is the key to overcome most of our environmental problems, and it applies to
desertification also. In some cases, it’s difficult to try and prevent desertification from
happening.

In those cases, there needs to be research and application of the latest technology that pushes the
limits of what we currently know about the drivers of desertification. Advancements could help
us find more ways to prevent the issue from becoming an epidemic.

5. Restricting Mining Practices

Mining often implies the destruction of large areas of land. Therefore it should be regulated by
governments to keep the nature reserves intact and protect the natural habitats of many animals
and plants. Thus, less land will be arid, and the desertification issue can be mitigated to a certain
extent.

6. Putting Together Rehabilitation Efforts

There are some ways that we can go back and rehabilitate the land that we’ve already pushed
into desertification; it just takes some investment of time and money. By putting these together,
we can prevent the issue from becoming even more widespread in the areas that have already
been affected.

7. Reforestation

The areas that have been subject to deforestation in the past should be considered for
reforestation. Planting trees in those areas are quite important since they are natural carbon
dioxide storage spaces; they slow down global warming and contribute to maintaining a natural
balance.

Whereas using those areas for other purposes may turn them into arid land in the long run.
Therefore, planting trees in the affected areas not only prevents desertification but also fights
against additional environmental issues.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

8. Sustainable Practices to Prevent Desertification from Happening

There are plenty of sustainable practices that can be applied to those acts that may be causing
desertification. By adding these to what we should be doing with land, we can ensure that we
don’t turn the entire world into a desert.

Desertification is a huge problem that needs to be addressed accordingly, and if we take the time
to do it now, we can prevent other problems from happening with it in the future. By taking that
critical look at desertification, we have the tools that we need in order to get through the
processes effectively.

Role of an individual in natural resource conservation:-

• Different natural resources like forests , water , soil , food , mineral and energy resources
play a vital role in the development of a nation.
• Overuse of these resources and several related problems occurs due to modern society is
resulting in fast depletion.
• Environment belongs to each one of us and all of us have a responsibility to contribute
towards its conservation and protection.
• With our small individual efforts we can together help in conserving our natural
resources to a large extent.

Conserve water; -
• Don’t keep water taps running while brushing, shaving, washing or bathing.
• In washing machines fill the machine only to the level required for your clothes.
• Install water saving toilets that use not more than 6 liters per flush.
• Check water leakages in pipes and toilets and repair them promptly.
• Reuse the soapy water of washing clothes for washing off the court yards, drive ways,
etc..
• Water the plants in your kitchen, gardens and lawns in the evening.
• Use drip irrigation and sprinkling system to improve irrigation efficiently and reduce
evaporation.
• Build rain water harvesting system in your house.

Conserve energy:-
• Turn off lights , fans and other appliances when not in use.
• Use solar cookers. Well ventilated houses should be constructed.

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.

 • Grow deciduous trees , creepers , climbers at proper places.
• Drive less , make fewer trips and use public transport. Car pooling.
• Instead of using the heat convertor more often wear adequate woolens.
• Recycle and reuse glass, metals and paper.
• Try riding bicycle or just walk down small distances instead of using a car or bike.
• Lower the cooling load on air conditioners by increasing the thermostat setting 3-5%
electricity is saved for every one degree rise in temperature.

Conserve soil:-

• Don’t uproot trees while you construct the house.

• Grow different types of ornamental plants , herbs and trees in the garden.
• Make compost from your kitchen waste and use it.
• Do not irrigate the plants using a strong flow of water as it washes off the soil.
• Better use sprinkling irrigation.
• Use green manure and mulch in the garden.
• Do not over irrigate the fields.
• Use mixed cropping so that some specific soil nutrients do not get depleted.

Promote sustainable agriculture:-

• Do not waste food , eat as much as you can.

• Reduce the use of pesticides.
• Fertilize your crop primarily with organic fertilizers.
• Use drop irrigation to water the crops.
• Eat local and seasonal vegetables.
• This saves a lot of energy on transport , storage and preservation.
• Control pests by a combination of cultivation and biological control methods

E. Jyothi, Assistant professor, S&H Dept. LIET.